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<blockquote data-quote="big ginger 8" data-source="post: 636881" data-attributes="member: 53057">Can guarantee we&#039;ll never see Clarke in an Ireland jersey...he was a Junior All Black. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite8" alt=":D" title="Big Grin&nbsp; &nbsp; :D" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":D" />. Also with your first question while they&#039;re greatly improved Connacht aren&#039;t really able to produce players with a much smaller and older population which has a low interest in rugby. Hopefully that does seem to be changing with the likes of Henshaw, McKeon and Griffin in there starting team all from the province and young guys. McCartney will be good for them but I&#039;m not even sure if he&#039;ll start. Harris-Wright is pretty big for them at hooker and Buckley shows a lot of promise at loosehead.Just on Heenan despite being a former u20&#039;s captain he wasn&#039;t on any franchises books, so I don&#039;t know how much effort was made to keep him.Along with the other reasons the guys mentioned about NZ&#039;s surplus etc don&#039;t forget that all four provinces have had New Zealanders as head coaches, so they would have had contacts back home and been more aware of the talent. Leinster alone at one stage had Schmidt, Gibbes and Feek!</blockquote>

[QUOTE="big ginger 8, post: 636881, member: 53057"] Can guarantee we'll never see Clarke in an Ireland jersey...he was a Junior All Black. :D. Also with your first question while they're greatly improved Connacht aren't really able to produce players with a much smaller and older population which has a low interest in rugby. Hopefully that does seem to be changing with the likes of Henshaw, McKeon and Griffin in there starting team all from the province and young guys. McCartney will be good for them but I'm not even sure if he'll start. Harris-Wright is pretty big for them at hooker and Buckley shows a lot of promise at loosehead. Just on Heenan despite being a former u20's captain he wasn't on any franchises books, so I don't know how much effort was made to keep him. Along with the other reasons the guys mentioned about NZ's surplus etc don't forget that all four provinces have had New Zealanders as head coaches, so they would have had contacts back home and been more aware of the talent. Leinster alone at one stage had Schmidt, Gibbes and Feek! [/QUOTE]

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